The Three Lives of Luke Castellan
by greenconverses
Summary: Thalia Grace encounters Luke Castellan's soul trice over five hundred years. She thinks it might be a conspiracy, but as they say, death cannot stop true love. It can only delay it a little while. Spoilers for The Last Olympian. Futurefic, Thalia/Luke.
1. Prologue

**Author's notes:** Trying out something new than my usual Percy/Annabeth stuff. _The Last Olympian_ was lacking some serious Thuke action, and what else is fan fiction for than making up for the lack in canon? Inspired by the line in _The Last Olympian_ where Luke says he's going to try for reincarnation once he dies. This is a four part fic which will be posted (hopefully) throughout the next two weeks.

**Warnings:** Massive spoilers for _The Last Olympian_. Obviously.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Percy Jackson and the Olympians_.

* * *

**The Three Lives of Luke Castellan**

_Prologue_

"He'll be back."

Thalia tears her gaze away from the funeral pyre and focuses it on the blonde girl beside her. Annabeth isn't looking at her and her eyes reflect the flames devouring the remains of the boy they once called friend.

"He won't," she replies, steel in her voice. She doesn't want to talk about this now or ever again; this chapter in her life is closed. "Reincarnation's not his thing."

"He said he was going to try for three. I believe him."

Thalia can't help the wave of anger that rolls through her when Annabeth says that. It's all well and good for her to have her faith in Luke restored, but Thalia wasn't there for his redemption and her last memory of Luke is as Kronos's puppet. That's not something she can forget or forgive easily. She had more encounters with him than Percy and Annabeth did, lost Hunters to him, and he never showed any weakness against _her_.

Maybe she would feel differently if she had seen him die instead of getting herself stuck under that wretched statue of Hera, but she doesn't think so. As far as she is concerned, the Luke she had known disappeared the day she got turned into that stupid tree.

"I suppose I'll keep my eye out for him then," Thalia says, giving in and letting Annabeth have her moment. They don't need to argue at a funeral, although she thinks the old Luke wouldn't have minded. He always said the two of them had too much spunk to be contained. "Seeing as though I'll probably be a million years old by the time his ass decides it's time to reincarnate."

"I think he'd like that," Annabeth says with a small smile. "You two deserve a second chance, at any rate."

Thalia doesn't ask what she means by that, preferring to let Annabeth have her delusions in whatever disgustingly romantic world she lives in, and turns back to the pyre.

The flames crackle and smoke curls up to the starry sky, carrying away the last remainders of the body of Luke Castellan, son of Hermes.

* * *

**Note: **As I've gotten several reviews pointing out that this fic covers one life too many, I would like to clarify that I originally interpreted the "three tries" for the Isle of the Blest as getting three chances at rebirth, not three lives including the "original" life. To tell this story, Luke needed three reincarnations - it wouldn't be the same without all three. Also, to avoid further confusion, the title of the story refers to the lives of his reincarnations, not his "original" life. **  
**


	2. Part One: Adam

**Author's notes:** I am so sorry this took so long to get up! I had to move across the state for my summer internship over the weekend and while I had the majority of this written up, I didn't have time to finish it. I hope the length of this chapter will make up for it!  
The central theme for this chapter, especially for Thalia, is growing up. Because she wasn't there to see him die, I don't think she ever got closure over the whole Luke business and I certainly don't think she forgave him, as I tried to portray in the prologue. This idea, as well as the idea of a second chance, were huge inspirations for this chapter.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Percy Jackson and the Olympians_.

* * *

**The Three Lives of Luke Castellan**

_One – Adam _

When Athena asks the Hunters of Artemis to help in a quest to find a lost family heirloom, the last place Thalia Grace expects to find it is at Kennedy Children's Hospital.

Then again, she also doesn't expect to find it in the possession of a monster or for her ass to get handed to her quite so well by said monster.

"I think I saw this on an episode of Buffy once," Thalia grunts, hauling herself to her feet despite her body's protests of pain. "Except I don't think she got her butt kicked this badly."

Beside her, Ariel, daughter of Demeter, looks at her with glazed amber eyes. The monster of the week had thrown her pretty hard against the wall right after it had trounced Thalia, and if the look in her eyes is any indication, she probably has a concussion. Good thing they're at a hospital, seeing as though their resident daughter of Apollo had to go and get herself buried under rubble two blocks back.

"What are you talking about? Who's Buffy?" Ariel asks and Thalia is more horrified by this than the fact that her small group of Hunters is getting thrown around the Kennedy Children's Hospital rooftop by a vicious monster with a magical item that makes it frickin' invisible and thus extremely hard to slay. "Is she a new Hunter?"

"Oh my god, I am _so old_!" Thalia howls, wanting to kick something. Preferably invisible monster ass.

It never fails to frustrate her every time one of her pop culture references falls on deaf ears, and she's reminded by the blank stares and snickers from the other Hunters that the things she grew up with are now outdated relics from the twenty-first century – that _she's_ an outdated relic. She swore she would never become like Zoë Nightshade, with her "thees" and "thous," but Thalia's just as bad with her allusions to television series that aren't even airing on TV Land any more.

Thalia hasn't changed much in the one hundred and sixteen years since the Battle of New York with her short hair, piercings, dark clothes, and attitude to match. The years flew by at a maniac pace with hunts, another Great Prophecy, and recruiting taking up most of her time, and she barely noticed their passing. Before she knew it, Percy was sick and then dead, and Annabeth with her wrinkles and white hair lasted a few more years before following after him. Nico had died a hero's death long before either of them, and Rachel Elizabeth Dare had disappeared after the power of the Oracle had been passed on to the next girl. Grover and Tyson were still around – at least, she _thought_ they were – but Thalia was the last of her generation and would be until the end of time.

Unless, of course, she got herself killed by some uppity monster that likes to torture and suck the life out of sick kids, which was starting to look more and more like a possibility.

"THALIA!" Mara screeches as she's grabbed by her ankle and hoisted into the air. "DO SOMETHING!"

Thalia grabs her bow off her back and notches an arrow, aiming for the space right beside Mara's kicking right leg. She prays for a quick blessing from Artemis and launches her arrow. A terrible yowl erupts as the arrow sinks into invisible flesh and the monster drops Mara to the floor. Another arrow is launched across the room, knocking the magical heirloom off the monsters head – it's a faded and familiar Yankees cap.

The Hunters get one look at the monster – something big, dark, and butt ugly – before it crashes through the ceiling and disappears down into the hospital.

"After it!" Thalia commands, pulling Ariel to her feet. "Split up, it should be easy to spot now! Corner it and kill it if you can!"

The girls who haven't been hurled into walls are already jumping through the hole in the ceiling and Thalia hurries after them, but not before she scoops up the Yankee cap and tucks it into the pocket of her jeans. She is going to have a _very_ long talk with _very_ sharp objects involved with whatever blasted Jackson-Chase descendent let this out of their possession.

While her most of her Hunters focus on the fourth and third floors, Thalia goes down to the second floor, kicking open closed doors, checking under beds, and making sure not to step on any of the mortals collapsed on the floor or draped over furniture. The monster had put some sort of sleeping enchantment on the hospital – it was the magic that had alerted the Hunters to the hospital in the first place and conveniently, the object of their quest had been there as well.

All the machines are still in working order, but a few of them aren't registering any signals from the patients they're attached to. From the looks of things, this floor is the place where all the really sick kids are and the monster's main feeding ground. Thalia really doesn't want to be here when the spell wears off and people wake up to realize their kids are dead.

After finding nothing but sleeping mortals in the last forty-nine rooms, Thalia is enormously surprised when she glances in the last room at the end of hall and finds the occupant of the room wide awake. At first, she thinks it might be a trick of the Mist, but when the image of a little boy propped up in bed and reading a book doesn't fade or transform into a fanged monstrosity, she decides the monster must've just been sloppy with his enchantments.

"Huh," Thalia says, lowering her bow and walking into the room. Even if he's a _boy_, she still has a duty to make sure he isn't hurt. "You okay, kid?"

He doesn't look like he can be more than seven years old, although it's hard to tell when his blankets are swamping him. He's small and skinny with an unhealthy, pale gleam to his skin, and there's a green cap over his head where his hair should be.

_Cancer patient_, Thalia thinks miserably.

"Would I be _here _if I was?" he says snottily, not looking up. "What a dumb question."

Thalia bristles instantly. Sick kid or not, she's the only one who's supposed to be copping attitude in the room.

"I didn't mean… you know, your… er – "

"Leukemia? Spit it out already," Cancer Boy interrupts, turning a page forcefully. "I'm not going to cry each time someone brings up the fact I'm diseased."

"Well excuse me for trying to be sensitive, you stupid kid!"

"Wow, you just called a dying kid _stupid_. I hope that makes you feel better about yourself."

Thalia grits her teeth and resists the urge to go find the monster and demand it suck out Cancer Boy's life before she kills it. She hasn't been this annoyed in such a short time by anyone in several years, probably because she doesn't hang out with men anymore.

Speaking of the monster…

An inhuman howl fills the air as something heavy drops on the floor above them, shaking dust from the ceiling. Thalia curses under her breath, suddenly reminded that she has more important things to be worrying about than arguing with a seven-year-old _cancer patient_, and starts backing out of the room.

"What was that?" Cancer Boy asks, finally looking up from his book and at the ceiling. There's a tremor in his voice that makes Thalia pause, and she wonders how (or if) the Mist is hiding this situation from him.

"Monster," Thalia says because she's probably never going to see Cancer Boy after this moment. "And I've got to go slay it, so if you'll excuse me…"

Thalia turns to go, but once again she halts because of the boy in the bed.

"_You're_ a monster slayer?" he asks and she can hear the sneer in his voice. "Yeah right."

She glances over her shoulder, ready to tell him _exactly_ how many unpleasant ways she can kill him with her pinkie finger, and notices he's turned his attention away from the ceiling and onto her for the first time. A second later, she notices the color of his eyes.

Thalia actually feels herself go pale as her world slides out from under her. Her limbs go numb from shock and her knees grow so weak that she has to grasp the doorframe as she sinks to the floor. She's suddenly a hundred years in the past and eleven years old again, trying to attack a boy with blonde hair and blue eyes for the first time…

"_Luke_," she whispers, hardly able to get the words out because of the sudden, sharp ache in her chest. Thousands of memories and emotions, long forgotten or pushed to the dark recesses of her heart, come rushing back and Thalia has to fight to not to dissolve into a puddle of sobs on the hospital room floor.

He's back, he's _back_, _he's back_ –

The boy who has Luke Castellan's blue eyes wrinkles his nose and looks at her like she's insane.

"No, I'm Adam," he says, turning back to his book. "Stupid."

**-o-**

Thalia has no idea how she got out of Luke's reincarnation's room at Kennedy Children's Hospital that day with the monster. She thinks the other Hunters must've found her, just staring at him like a lunatic, and dragged her out because the next thing she remembers is Mara shaking her to her senses back at their camp outside the city.

She also briefly remembers Luke's reincarnation saying something like, "Take her back to the crazy ward already, geez! This isn't a zoo!" when the Hunters arrived to pick her up, which is why she finds herself hovering outside of his room at Kennedy Children's Hospital a few days later.

Not so she can spy on Luke's reincarnation – because why on Earth would she care about that? Closed life chapter, remember? – but so she can set him straight on the whole thinking she's a mental patient thing. Because she hasn't turned crazy without him and he's an idiot for even thinking that. She was just shocked, that's all, shocked that he had big enough balls to come back and she really wants to clobber him for even thinking she's the crazy one –

Oh, who is she kidding? She's _totally_ there to spy on Luke's reincarnation, just to make sure he's not plotting to overthrow Olympus or poisoning magical trees with old friends stuck inside them or abducting tourists on a cruise ship when he's not, you know, busy _dying of cancer_ or anything.

Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus, has to be the biggest asshole on the planet right now.

She lets out a huge sigh and slumps against the wall, looking up at the ceiling. Doctors and nurses pass by without looking at her once, thanks to her manipulation of the Mist, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

This whole finding Luke's reincarnation thing has thrown her through the wringer these last few days. She's been jumpy and scatterbrained during the day, and waking from nightmares of the past during the night. Her Hunters have noticed (especially Mara, that backstabbing Poseidon spawn) but she laughed it off as being hit too hard in the head by the monster. She's just thankful Lady Artemis is busy with events at Olympus throughout the month and isn't with them right now because Thalia really doesn't want to explain to her mistress why a little boy has affected her so much.

It hurts her pride to admit it, but Thalia has no idea how to deal with this reincarnation business. Luke is the first one she's ever encountered and even then, it's different because it's _Luke_, the only boy who kissed her and then became a murdering dick because he couldn't _get_ _over_ himself and his stupid destiny.

Repression and time have not been kind to her memories of Luke, and she was startled to find her feelings of betrayal and rage still burned as bright as they did the day of his funeral. She can't get the image of Luke as anything more than a bloodthirsty, gold-eyed Titan out of her head, and the urge to sock him a good one isn't helping anything either.

Thalia wasn't lying when she told Annabeth years and years ago that reincarnation wasn't his style; Luke didn't (or doesn't?) like to do the same things twice and reincarnation would be the ultimate form of a duplicate job. She isn't prepared for this, and she hasn't the faintest clue of how she's supposed to treat the kid lying in the bed in the room behind her. Does she treat him like Luke and vent her hundred year's worth of rage on him? Or does she act like she has no idea who he is or what he's done, and treat him like she'd treat like she would any other boy?

Granted, either option wouldn't be the best way of going about things, but she's not going to solve anything by standing around and moping about it…

Taking another deep breath and gathering her courage, Thalia ducks into the room.

Nothing has changed since she first encountered him. His room is depressingly bare and he's alone in his bed, reading again. She notices a worn stuffed bear on the bed stand and for the first time, she wonders where his parents are. If she had a child stuck in a hospital, she'd be there every second. It would completely suck if Luke got shitty parents two lives in a row.

She clears her throat and Luke's reincarnation looks up. His shadowed eyes widen for a moment and then settle back into a cool, unimpressed stare. What did he say his name was again? Oh, right. Adam.

"I'm not crazy and I'm not a patient here," Thalia says before he can make some obnoxious remark. "Just so you know."

He isn't even fazed, like weird girls frequently come into his hospital room to declare their sanity to him.

"Then who are you?"

"I'm your… uh… " Thalia says eloquently, wishing she would've thought this visit out a bit more thoroughly. Her eyes glance upon the only picture in the room – a sickening painting of a fat cherub – and inspiration strikes. "I'm your guardian angel."

Adam stares at her for a long, unsettling moment, and then says matter-of-factly, "Guardian angels don't use doors. Or wear black fingernail polish."

Thalia wants to _punch him_. He's definitely Luke Castellan's reincarnation.

"How do you know? Are you an angel?" Thalia replies, approaching his bed. She drags one of the nearby chairs to the side of the bed and plops down in it. Adam watches her warily.

"No," he admits grudgingly. "But I don't need guardian angels. It's past visiting hours anyway and I want to read."

Thalia raises an eyebrow in interest. Luke was never a good reader, mostly because of the combination of ADHD and dyslexia, but also because he liked to be the one inspiring the stories, not reading them.

"What are you reading?"

"If you're my guardian angel, shouldn't you know that already?" Adam snaps, trying to hide the cover under his blankets, but Thalia catches sight of the title anyway.

"Ew, _Stories of the Egyptian Gods for Children_?" she makes a face. "Those Egyptian kids _suck_. Couldn't you have at least gone with the Greeks?"

"I was the only one in my class who knew who Osiris and Isis were," he replies defensively. "Besides, _everyone_ likes the Greek gods, and I think they're stupid and boring."

Thalia wonders if she's imagining the slight resentment she hears in his voice when he talks about the Greek gods. Do reincarnations have memories of their past lives or is living again just like one giant moment of déjà vu? She wonders how much Adam remembers of his life of Luke, who he –

She cuts the thought off before she can finish it. It doesn't matter if he remembers or not. It's not going to change anything and he'd be the same Luke as he always was.

"You must be reading the wrong stories. The Greeks are anything but boring," Thalia says, leaning back in the chair and propping her feet on his bed. He glares at her and tries to shove her feet off. "I could tell you some of the good ones, if you want."

Adam pauses, his hands on her left foot.

"Really?"

Maybe it's the fact that he's Luke's reincarnation and she's tied to him no matter what, or maybe it's because she hasn't talked to anyone who isn't a member of the Hunters in a long time. Mostly, she thinks she offered to tell him stories because he's a lonely kid in the hospital and she can recognize the fear behind his bravado. He needs the company.

"Sure. You ever hear the story about Jason and the Argonauts?"

Adam lets go of her feet, sits back in his bed, and listens.

**-o-**

And that's how their visits go during the two and half weeks the Hunters are in the area. Thalia shows up whenever she can get away from the Hunters, usually right after dinner and visiting hours are over; she and Adam exchange witty barbs (well, witty enough for a seven year old anyway) until he gets tired of it and asks her to tell a story. She tries not to tell him any stories that might draw on old memories, but he gets a book from his parents after her second visit and she's forced to tell him some of the other ones.

Sometimes he falls asleep during the first story, but most of the time he stays awake long afterward asking her questions and generally being a little brat about things. Thalia leaves when he falls asleep or whenever his medicine makes him unpleasant.

The Hunters take note of her absences right away. Most of them know enough not to say anything to her about it, but Mara, daughter of Poseidon, always likes to pick a fight with Thalia over something or the other as children of the Big Three are wont to do. Percy must've been the one exception to the rule because Thalia always wants knock Mara's block off…well, whenever she sees her which is everyday since they're tentmates.

When Thalia comes back on the third day, Mara's sitting on top of her sleeping bag and waiting for her with narrowed green eyes.

"I know what you're up to," Mara says. "And you should probably stop it."

Thalia scoffs. It doesn't surprise her that Mara's taken the time to spy on her; it wouldn't be the first time she stuck her big nose someplace it didn't belong.

"I think you forgot who wears the silver tiara in this outfit. She's in this tent and I'll give you a hint: she's not you."

"And that person with a silver tiara needs to be reminded that she's not doing her duty by hanging by the bedside of a sick _boy_ all day," the other girl replies tightly. "What would Lady Artemis say if she found out her lieutenant breaking her vow?"

Thalia throws her bow and quiver onto her sleeping bag, and starts pulling off her jacket, keeping her back turned. Mara's trying to provoke her and the longer she doesn't look at her, the longer Mara's face keeps its form.

"He's _seven_ and he's dying. I hardly think it counts."

"I think you and I both know this is more than keeping a dying kid company. I've heard your nightmares. You think this kid is the reincarnation of whatever guy made you join the Hunters in the first place."

Thalia spins around and points her finger in Mara's face.

"Shut up! You don't know anything, you stupid Squid Spawn!"

"What you're doing isn't fair!" Mara shouts back, launching herself to her feet. "To us, to him, to _yourself_! You're visiting this kid, thinking one day he's going to look at you like he really knows you and he's _not_, Thalia! He's a completely different person! Do you even think of him in any other way instead of somebody else's reincarnation?"

Thalia opens her mouth and then closes it just as fast, her temper dying. There's no glint of triumph in Mara's eyes when she catches the look of guilt cross Thalia's face, however.

It's true enough. She thinks of him as Adam, but she's always waiting for a sign that it's really Luke in there so she can pounce. When he does something that reminds her of Luke, she gets standoffish and mean, and she's seen the confusion in Adam's eyes. It's never bothered her until now, and she hates Mara even more for being concerned about her for once instead of just being a bitch.

"If you're going to keep doing this, you can't treat the kid like that. He has done nothing wrong and he's got enough problems on his plate without having your unresolved angst to deal with. So get over yourself and be a _real_ guardian angel for this kid," Mara finishes, crossing her arms over her chest. When Thalia says nothing after a moment, she starts to twitch a little bit. "Aren't…aren't you going to punch me or something?"

"Not this time," Thalia says evenly. "But don't get used to it."

Mara's advice doesn't change the way she interacts with Adam completely. It makes her more aware of what she says and does, certainly, but Adam's personality is so similar to Luke's it's hard to distinguish between the two of them.

Everything comes to a head on the fifth night, though, when she arrives and Adam is in the midst of a terrible nightmare. He's trashing back and forth, pulling at the intravenous lines in his arms, and whimpering softly. Even though she knows better, she shakes him awake and he looks at her with wild, scared blue eyes.

"Th – Thalia?" he says, his forehead knitting in confusion. "What… ?"

"Nightmare. You okay?" she asks, sitting back in her chair.

"Yes," he says, looking away from her and at his hands. It takes her a moment to realize he's embarrassed that she witnessed one of his nightmares. She almost rolls her eyes. Boys and their pride.

"Hey, it's okay. Everyone gets nightmares."

She pats him on the hands awkwardly, hoping that will give him some comfort.

"Not like mine."

A little shiver goes down her spine at the tone of his voice. It's dark and dangerous, not emotions a seven year old should have.

"Do you want to tell me about them?" she asks slowly.

He sighs and looks out at the window at the sun dipping below the city skyline. He doesn't say anything and Thalia figures that's a definite "no" to that idea.

"Well, I brought some cards if you want to play a game today – "

"There was a shadow in my dream," Adam interrupts, keeping his eyes away from her. "A shadow in a pit, and it made me…do things. Really bad things. I think I knew it was evil, but I did them anyway to…to get even or something."

Thalia pales, instinctively leaning back as far as she can in her chair to put some distance between the two of them. Those weren't any nightmares – from what Adam was describing, his nightmares were Luke's memories of his time with Kronos. Thalia's extremely harsh side thinks it's good he doesn't get a clean slate just because he gets a new life and that he'll continue to suffer for everything he's done.

Another part, the part that's growing to love Adam as the little brother she never had, thinks it's completely unfair that he has to go through all of this on top of having leukemia. Sure, Luke racked up some seriously bad karma in his past life, but the disease and the years in the hospital has to be punishment enough.

"That's not you, Adam, and it's never going to be you," Thalia says, surprised by how much vehemence is in her voice. "They're just dreams."

"But… but what if that _was_ me?" He finally looks at her, his eyes wide and desperate, and lower lip trembling. "Don't you ever have that feeling that you've done something before? That's what the dreams feel like. I – I was a bad person, Thalia, and I don't want to be that person!"

"Then don't be," she replies softly. Even though she wants to look away from him because seeing those eyes and hearing about his nightmares just makes her see Luke instead of Adam, she knows he needs reassurance more than she does. "You always have a choice, Adam. Don't listen to the shadows, don't despair because the road is a lot harder than you thought it would be; don't blame anyone for your lot in life, don't forget who your friends are and why they're important to you. And most of all, just… don't be bitter, no matter what happens. If you keep that in mind, you won't be that bad person from your dreams. You'll just be you."

Adam's eyes are glistening with tears as he croaks, "Really? You believe that?"

"Yes."

Adam launches himself out of the bed at her and wraps his bony little arms around her in the first hug Thalia's gotten in decades. She can feel his shoulders shuddering as he starts to cry and she pats him on the back less awkwardly than she did than before.

And as she rocks him back to sleep Thalia finds, to her surprise, she really _does_ believe that.

**-o-**

When the two of them are together, they rarely talk about his leukemia, but it always comes up every now and then. From what she gathers from his thinly veiled comments (and the medical records she stole one night), Adam has been in and out of the hospital since he was two years old. Chemotherapy worked once and then he went into remission a few months ago. He's been waiting for a bone marrow transplant and has been getting steadily worse since then. The doctors only gave him a few more months if he didn't get the transplant.

About a week and half into her visits, Thalia catches one of the nurses making a remark to Adam's mother that his stats have started to pick up and he's begun to make a turnaround. The doctors can't explain it, but Adam's mother, who looks far too old for her age, doesn't need an explanation. She sinks into a chair and covers her face with shaking hands; Thalia feels a moment of remorse for thinking Adam's parents didn't care. It couldn't be easy, always feeling like you're about to lose your child that you've barely gotten to know.

Thalia likes to think that it's her visits that have helped him recover. Ever since the their talk about the nightmares, Adam has been much livelier and acting much more like the seven year old boy he should be.

So it comes a complete shock to all of them about five days later when Adam starts coughing and he's suddenly too weak and tired to get out of bed. The doctors hurry to his side and make a quick diagnosis: pneumonia.

Adam's mother collapses again at the news, but this time it's out of utter despair. Thalia doesn't understand what's wrong. She had pneumonia before and she came out of it just fine. Most kids come out of pneumonia just fine, don't they? But Adam's not most kids, and most kids don't already have leukemia on top of everything else.

His cheeks start losing whatever color they gained and become worse than before, sunken and grey. His breath rattles in his chest when he sleeps, which is all he does some days, and his eyes dull to a less brilliant shade of blue. He doesn't talk to her much, but she stays by his side and tells him the Greek myths until the clouds begin to lighten.

Thalia isn't sleeping well and Mara sees the darkness in her eyes when she returns to camp each night, but doesn't say or do anything more than offer to cover her patrol shift the next day.

The night before Lady Artemis is due back, Adam gets worse. When Thalia appears in the hospital for the night, she overhears Adam's doctor telling his parents that if his fever doesn't go down, he probably isn't going to last the night. Adam's mother accepts this with a jerky nod, but his father is the one who collapses into one of wicker chairs in the lobby and starts sobbing.

Terror seizes her heart and Thalia's stomach churns in misery. This isn't fucking _fair_. Adam's just a little kid, and he has to die like this? He hasn't even gotten a chance to _really_ live yet. This is a shitty excuse for a life, even for Luke's reincarnation.

Adam's room is dark and quiet except for the beeping of the various monitors beside the bed. Thalia forgoes her usual chair beside the bed and climbs up in it to sit beside his sleeping form. She wraps his sweaty little hands in hers and places a hand on his burning forehead.

"I'm here Adam. It's all right," she says, her voice tight with unshed tears.

Her voice causes him to stir and after a moment, he cracks his eyes open, looking miserable, tried, and _dying_. She's seen this look before, but it's much more painful seeing it in those blue eyes. She wonders if this how Luke looked when he died…

"Thalia," Adam says so softly she has to strain to hear it.

"Hi," she whispers, trying to smile for him and be strong like a guardian angel should. But Thalia's only a half-blood and even she doesn't have the strength to remain unaffected – her bottom lip trembles with emotion. "You – you don't look so good, kid."

"I… I was dreaming," he says, ignoring her quip. There's a focused, energized look on his face that she's never seen before and certainly not in the last few days. "Of you."

"Was it nightmares? Because I know I'm pretty scary – "

"No. They're… nice. They've always been nice."

Thalia's hair stands up at the back of her neck, and she drops her attempt at being playful. She knows Adam's nightmares were a result of Luke's worst memories, but she hadn't though anything about his _nice_ memories surviving reincarnation.

"You've dreamed of me before?" she asks, leaning in close to him. Maybe she's thinking this through too much, maybe he just started dreaming of her after she visited for the first time…

Adam nods as best he can, his face contorting with pain for a moment. Thalia tightens her grip on his hand, desperate to keep him anchored to her.

"Since I was little, in the hospital for the first time," he whispers. "That's how I know you weren't lying… about being my guardian angel."

Thalia stares at him, completely at a loss for words. Out of all the memories that could bring him comfort when he was alone or scared, the ones that come to him are the ones of _her_? What can she say to that?

"I'm sorry I was mean to you. I just thought guardian angels only showed up when people were about to die, and I didn't want to die. But I'm glad… I'm glad I met you first."

"I would've found you sooner if I knew where you were, Adam," she says fiercely, and she means it with all her heart. "And you're not going to die. You're… you've just got a little cold, that's all. You're so strong, you'll pull through this and you'll grow up and… and… "

Adam squeezes her hand comfortingly as her voice breaks.

"Thank you, Thalia."

She ducks her head, trying to hide her tears from him. The two of them don't say anything for a very long time, and Thalia wonders if he's fallen back to sleep and this is the last time she'll talk to him. She wonders if she should leave so his parents be with him instead, but she even the thought of leaving in what could be the last moments of his life hurts more than she can bear.

"Thalia," he asks quietly, breaking the silence at last. "What's dying like?"

"It's… it's not too bad, I suppose," Thalia replies. She supposes he wouldn't remember what dying had been like in his last life and she wouldn't want him to either. "I wouldn't know. The only time I came close to dying, I got turned into a pine tree instead."

Adam's eyes widen comically and for a moment, they've gone back in time to when she was regaling him with stories about the Olympians and her fellow half-bloods, when he still had a chance at getting out of this stupid place.

"A tree?"

She nods. "Before you came along, I was a guardian angel to a little girl and…and another boy. They got into trouble, and I saved them."

"By turning into a pine tree," Adam says skeptically and he's stronger in this moment than he has been in days. "You are the worst guardian angel of all time."

"I never claimed to be otherwise," she laughs."I would've turned into a big oak tree for you."

Their moment of relative normality passes and is broken by a series of shivers that overtake Adam's frail body. The monitors near him go wild, and Thalia backs away as the nurses rush in to attend to him. She takes this time to compose herself by wiping her tears on the sleeves of her coat and watching the medical staff work. They leave once Adam has fallen back into a fitful rest, one of them muttering about fluid in Adam's lungs.

It finally hits Thalia that she's watching someone she cares about die a slow and very painful death, and she could _do something_ about this.

She could run back to the Hunters camp and force one of the Apollo daughters to heal Adam; surely they could fix the fluid in his lungs and give him more time. She could go to Apollo himself and beg for Adam's life, to free him of his leukemia and let him be a normal boy for a change. It doesn't have to be this way!

But instead of being strong, grief overcomes her and keeps her by his side. She doesn't want to leave and for him to wake without her there. She lost her first chance to be with him as he lay dying and nothing in the world is going to make her give up her second chance, even the slim hope of saving him.

Thalia returns to her spot on Adam's bed, cupping his hand in hers, and praying to every god she knows for some kind of miracle. Adam's parents float in and out of the room throughout the next few hours, but they take no notice of her. Even without the Mist manipulation, they probably would've been too lost in their grief to notice anything but their son.

Adam wakes for the last time around midnight. His parents aren't in the room but he only seems to have one thing on his mind anyway: her.

"Thalia," he whispers, startling her.

She notices there's something different about his voice, something that isn't caused by the medication or his illness. Thalia looks up from her study of their entwined hands, and notices the difference extends to Adam's eyes. He's looking at her like he _knows_ her; really knows her, not just as his idiot of a guardian angel –

Realization hits her like a lightning strike and she nearly falls off the bed.

"Luke?" she gasps, the throbbing gap in her chest expanding into excruciating chasm. She can hardly breathe from the ache. "_Luke_?"

He nods slowly. Adam's body must be at death's door if Luke's spirit can surface, and that pains her more than anything. She's grown to love Adam, not just the shell housing the remnants Luke's soul, but as a completely different person with his own strengths and weaknesses. She can't handle losing two people at once, even if one is the stupid traitor her heart can't seem to get over –

"Adam – Luke, I can save you!" she bursts out, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I can have someone heal you. Just, please, stay strong, for a few minutes! I can… !"

She trails off as she feels Adam's cold and clammy hand on her cheek. She doesn't know where he's found the strength to comfort her when he's _dying_.

"Has to be this way," he replies with Adam's weak voice. "Not my destiny this time. Be strong. Don't – don't be bitter, Thalia."

Thalia's heart stops for a nanosecond.

Luke heard her.

Luke _heard_ her. Not only had he heard her, but he listened to her well enough to spit back her own advice when she needed it most. It's the fact that he still cares is what makes her tears turn into hoarse sobs.

"I – I _can't_. I can't do this again, please stay. Please."

Thalia has never begged for anything in her life, not even to be saved by her father that one time, and Luke knows this and doubtlessly isn't pleased that she's stooped this low just to save his miserable life. The hand on her cheek grows stronger for a moment

"I have… two more times," he murmurs. "I'll find you again. Promise."

"You better do better than your last promise."

She doesn't know how her emotional baggage managed to escape its confines in the dark regions in her heart and find its way into this situation. Adam's eyes harden, but not with dislike or disgust – with determination.

"I will… Forgive me?"

One hundred and sixteen years.

That's how long she's had to carry every last memory and feeling from everything leading up to the Battle of New York. She's the last of her generation, the last to hold on to the anger and the betrayal, and she's damn tired of being the one to carry it all. It's taken too much time for some things to be forgotten and forgiven, and it's held her back from being the person she's always wanted to be.

"Yes. Of course," she says, feeling the pulse in his hand beginning to slow. "Just find me again, Luke Castellan. Find me and we'll make everything all right."

He smiles faintly and his blue eyes drift close. Thalia holds his hand until the tiny pulse comes to a complete stop and Adam dies.

"I'll be waiting for you," she whispers, pressing a tiny kiss to the knuckles of his cooling hand.

She flees as the doctors and Adam's parents come into the room, and finds a nice, dark corner outside of the hospital to sob her aching heart out.

She doesn't think about it. Not when she returns to came with red, puffy eyes and looking like the living dead. Not when she greets Lady Artemis, who simply stares at her and then sends her on her way. Not when she bumps into Mara and the other girl gives her a hug. Not even when she crawls into her sleeping bag, curls into miserable little lump, and cries herself to sleep.

As she closes her eyes, all Thalia can do is hope the next one hundred and sixteen years pass as quickly as the first.


	3. Part Two: Jake

**Author's notes:** Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! You're all awesome. I am so sorry this took so long to get up compared to the others. I've been pretty busy between my internship and doing the camp counselor thing this week. But you're not here to listen to me whine!

Originally, only the middle chunk of this fic was supposed to act as a chapter, but then I got to writing the third piece and another idea hit me, so I had to come back and add about 3,000 words. If the theme of the last chapter was growing up, this chapter's theme is definitely when you're pissed off, hurt, and in love, you can do some really stupid things.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Percy Jackson and the Olympians_.

* * *

**The Three Lives of Luke Castellan**

_Two – Jake_

The first of Thalia's memories begin to fade during the twenty-third century. She's forgotten a few things over the years and some details manage to blur together in the mesh of her consciousness – but hey, that's to be expected of an immortal, right? She can't remember every single thing that happens to her and at least she remembers the important things.

Well, she thinks so anyway, but life likes to prove her wrong whenever possible.

She and the Hunters are perusing an antique bookshop in Seattle one rainy day at the beginning of the new century – immortals spend a lot of time in the antique shops, looking at things that remind them of the past or could at least spark memories of them. On that particular visit, Thalia comes across a pile of celebrity magazines from the early 1990s. She pages through one, snickering silently to herself at some of the hairstyles and reminding herself who some of these people were, and then pauses as she comes across a photo of an aged, but still pretty blonde woman.

The woman looks familiar, but Thalia can't place her face until she glances at the faded caption under the photo. When she reads the name listed, she drops the magazine out of shock.

That woman was her _mother_.

How could she have forgotten what her own mother looked like? Yeah, they hadn't been very close and somehow the paparazzi had gotten a shot of her when she wasn't a boozy wreck, but _still_. What kind of person forgets what their mother looked like?

Thalia begins frantically searching her memories, recalling every important name and face from all her years alive. She's startled to discover she has to search through her small collection of photographs before she recalls what Annabeth's hair color was and she had long forgotten what she or Percy sounded like. She has to find a demigod history book to bring back some of the memories of the Battle of New York, and she ends up asking one of the older girls who she succeeded as Artemis's lieutenant because she doesn't know anymore.

Memory is a frustrating thing, to say the least. How is it that she can remember the insipid lyrics to a Britney Spears song that hasn't played on the radio in years on demand but it takes a good hour before she remembers which Jackson-Chase brat she was named godmother to?

Some Hunters don't mind when their memories go missing, and others actively look for ways to get rid of them. But Thalia always been different from the rest of the herd, and she obsesses over her memories. She doesn't want to be the one to forget a face, a date, or a promise; she wants to hold onto everything that makes her _her_.

She just never expects to be the only one who remembers who she is, and that shocks her.

**-o-**

By the year 2275, Olympus has moved from New York City to Beijing to Tokyo, and is looking to make a return to the United States in the next few decades. A few more mortal wars have broken out, some fueled by the gods and demigods running around in the background, a couple of terrible prophecies have been made, and technology continues to advance at an astounding pace. For instance, mortal man has colonized the moon, which has Selene none too pleased, and are now on their way to Mars. Global warming's been solved and Earth's a much more environmentally friendly place than it was in Thalia's first lifetime.

The hovercraft still hasn't been invented, but electric and solar cars have been made much faster, which annoys Thalia to no end, because she's sure if it had been, she wouldn't have had to risk her life daily to save some poor person from getting run over by an irresponsible driver with a lead foot.

Today's accident happens as Thalia and a few other Hunters leave a coffee shop. It hadn't been a very good day so far (Thalia had the burns from split coffee to prove it), and it gets worse once Coraline, a daughter of Hades, sucks in a breath and says, "Someone's going to die."

Coraline really needs to stop saying those sorts of things out loud, if the glares the other girls shoot her are any indication, because it ignites Thalia's noble streak like nothing else can and usually ends up getting the rest of them in some sort of trouble. Today is no exception.

Thalia whirls around, trying to spot the accident before it can happen. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees a little red haired girl being pulled into the street by a gold colored dog two times her size. A green car hits the curb at the edge of the block and speeds toward the two, the driver clearly not paying attention. Thalia bursts into action, sprinting across the street and tackling the girl to the pavement just in the nick of time. She scratches her knees on the pavement, but the girl remains safe and cradled in her arms. She doesn't hear anything collide with the car, so the dog must've gotten away too.

Without even slowing down, the car honks in annoyance and skids away down the street.

Thalia curses mortals under her breath. It's been over three hundred years since the invention of the automobile; how do any of them not know the dangers by now?

"ELIZABETH!" someone shouts nearby, and Thalia figures the inattentive parent must've finally noticed their daughter's life was in danger.

The little girl sits up and stares at Thalia with wide eyes.

"You saved me!" she says in an excited a squeak of a voice.

"Of course," Thalia says gruffly, getting to her feet. She notices her hands are bleeding from the scrapes and wipes them on her jeans. "That's my job."

The little girl opens her mouth to say something else, perhaps ask her how Thalia got a job saving people, but then a man with dark hair bursts onto the scene and bends down beside her.

"Bethy!" he exclaims, his voice tight and breathless with worry. He cups his daughter's face in his hands, examining it for any minute scratch, any possible hint of injury. "Are you all right? Where does it hurt?"

"I'm fine, Dad," she replies with the tiniest hint of exasperation and embarrassment in her voice. She's just on the cusp of being too old to be coddled and young enough to enjoy it still. Thalia's memories of those days have long since faded, but she knows her mother never gave her any attention like that. The girl points to her. "She saved me."

Bethy's father notices Thalia for the first time. His dark brown hair is covered by a tattered New York Mets cap, and he has pale skin with a smattering of freckles over his cheeks and nose. Square plastic eyeglasses frame his blue eyes –

Thalia stumbles backward, recognizing those eyes in a moment. She deals with the shock a little bit better this time, but she supposes nothing can prepare her to deal with the reincarnated Luke Castellan as a _concerned parent_.

She's been looking for him on and off again over the last few years, and always imagining scenarios when they meet again. She's followed blond boys around discreetly, peered at the eyes of men she passed by in the streets, and there's never been any sign of him. She could have never dreamed she'd meet him like this, and she certainly hadn't expected him to come back so soon!

Oh Zeus, after all these years he's _here_ right now and he's staring at her like he knows who she is, and she just saved his _daughter _from becoming a splatter on the pavement. Oh god. Just breathe, breathe, _breathe_ _–_

"Um," Thalia says, and turns to run away.

"Wait a minute," the man (Luke) says, stepping in front of her to block her path. Thalia's nose comes to the middle of his chest and she has to crane her neck to look up at him. "I know you, don't I?"

"No," Thalia lies, voice steady but her mouth is as dry as the desert. "I've never met you before."

Well, the second part is true anyway; she hasn't met this version of him before.

A familiar ache opens in her chest at that thought. Wasn't _he_ was supposed to have found her? He promised he would find her and she had waited for him…

He forgot her. How could he?

"Liar," he chides with ease and Luke's smile ghosts across his lips. This incarnation seems to have less in common with Luke personality-wise, but more of his old expressions. Thalia has to bite her lip to keep herself from doing something stupid, like crying. "I've seen you somewhere, I'm sure of it. Are you a classmate of Anna's?"

Thalia freezes at the familiar name. She's run into a couple of other reincarnates since her encounter with Adam, and sometimes it's frightening how much they recall about their old lives without actually remembering anything significant.

The ache in her chest gets worse. He remembered Annabeth's name over his promise to her. That had to mean something.

"Who?"

"My eldest daughter. She looks like she'd be about your age," the man explains, wrapping an arm around the younger girl's shoulder. "This is my youngest, Bethy."

"_Daaaad_," Bethy whines, a blush spreading across her cheeks. "I told you, it's _Liz_ now. Bethy's a baby name."

"Oh, really?" he replies, forgetting about Thalia and turning his full attention to his daughter. "Since when did seven become old enough to change your name?"

The scene before her brings hot tears to Thalia's eyes for a number of reasons. It took two hundred and sixty five years after his first death, but Luke finally has the family he's always wanted. She knows they'll love and care for him in the ways all his previous families, even she and Annabeth, had failed. He'll protect them in all the ways he couldn't or wasn't strong enough to do before. He has no destiny looming over him, no threat to his existence…

He has everything he's ever wanted, even a _dog_, and he doesn't even know it.

Luke's achieved perfect happiness, and knowing that makes Thalia's heart hurt from a combination of pure joy and aching sadness. He deserves it, he really does.

But he hadn't found it with her; he hadn't even come _looking_ for her. She didn't matter to him, she _never_ mattered…

And really, what had she thought would happen if he had found her again? They'd pick up wherever they'd left off from the time she had gotten turned into a tree? That she'd leave the hunters, they'd get married, and it would be _her_ daughter named Annabeth he'd have his arms around right now?

What a fucking _miserable_ joke. Why did she keep torturing herself, year after year? Luke was never hers and he was never going to be hers.

"Sorry, sir – "

"Jake," he replies, looking at her again. "Jake Macguire."

"Sorry for the confusion, Mr. Macguire. You must've mistake me for someone else," she continues, fixing him with her best smile. He must notice the tears in her eyes because his nose wrinkles like it used to when he was concerned about her. "I should be going."

She brushes past him, but he touches her shoulder as she passes.

"Thank you for looking after my daughter," he says.

"It was nothing. I'm always watching out."

_For you_, she thinks miserably as she crosses the street and returns to her Hunters.

They congratulate her with pats on the back for a job well done and Thalia acknowledges them with a stiff nod. If they notice something is wrong with her, they're kind enough not to say anything. As they continue down the street, Thalia can't help herself and turns to take another look at him.

He and his daughter are walking in the opposite direction. He has his arm around her shoulders again, and their dog is back on the leash, trotting in front of them. If he senses her eyes on him, he doesn't turn to acknowledge her; he's probably already forgotten about the girl with dark hair who's forever a day away from sixteen.

Suddenly, she knows he's not going to come back a third time, not when he's already achieved the perfect life, and even if does, he isn't coming back for her. He's already proved that twice. This is the last time she'll see Luke Castellan's soul, she's sure of it.

And, she swiftly resolves, this will be the last time she ever thinks of that boy again. She doesn't need to spend all of eternity wishing for what could have been. Their history is in the forgotten past and she'll make sure of it stays that way.

**-o-**

"I need your help," Thalia says to Coraline that night in their tent.

Mara looks up from the e-book she's reading, shooting a smirk at Thalia. "What's this? Our great and powerful leader admitting she needs help? Surely the end is nigh!"

Mara's smirk falters when Thalia doesn't snap back and when she notices the dark, resolved expression on other girl's face.

"Thalia…?"

The daughter of Zeus ignores her and looks at Coraline, who looks nervous being caught between the two of them.

"What can I do, Thalia?"

Thalia swallows the lump in her throat and ignores the voice in the back of her mind that's saying this is a bad idea.

"I need you to take me to Mnemosyne's pool."

**-o-**

Mara complains the entire trip through the Underworld.

Thalia hadn't wanted her to come, but that stupid, stubborn sea cow wouldn't take no for an answer. She claimed she was coming along in case Thalia did something completely irrational and stupid, and to keep her from bullying Coraline the entire way. Thalia really thinks it's because Mara needs a few more hours to talk her out of paying a visit to the pool.

All the Hunters know of the mystical pool where the goddess of memory resides and know what goes on there. They talk about it in covert whispers around the camp fire and during the darkest of nights when only the terrors of the past can hurt them. It's no secret that when a Hunter goes on leave for a few days, usually a couple of decades into her service, that she's making the passage to Mnemosyne's pool to have her painful memories erased.

Thalia has approved several of these trips herself and although they never say what they're up to or where they're going, everyone always knows. There's a certain sense of shame attached to a visit to Mnemosyne, as if the other girls will look down upon another if they find she can't handle living with some painful memories, that they'll think she's weak.

Personally, Thalia had never found a need to visit Mnemosyne before now. Yeah, she has some real shitty memories and every now and then she has nightmares, but she's a master at repression. She has to be, otherwise watching everything she knows change or die off while she remains a day from sixteen for all eternity would drive her insane.

Thalia has matured greatly in the two hundred and sixty three years she's been alive, but she will always be a teenager. Though she's tamed them, she's never lost her impulsiveness, pigheadedness, or temper, and sometimes they like to return with a swift vengeance – especially when she's hurting. It's not torturous memories that drive her to Mnemosyne's pool today; its rash vindictiveness.

Mnemosyne's pool is located about a mile away from the River Lethe in the Underworld. Thankfully they don't have to cross the river to get to it, although Mara looks like she wants to pull a Percy and try to move the water anyway. Thalia knows a diversionary tactic when she sees one, so she ignores the daughter of Poseidon and keeps following Coraline. Mara trails reluctantly after them, getting quieter as they get closer to the pool.

Thalia's breath feels heavy and cold as it moves in and out of her chest, and she can hear whispers just on the edge of her consciousness as they approach the pool. Mara and Coraline look just as uncomfortable as she feels, and for a moment, she's glad the both of them are with her.

Thick, grey trees and dying gardens surround the small pool, which is unremarkable except for the stillness of the water. The woman in the faded black dress lying on the shore beside the small pool is equally unremarkable with mousy brown hair, flat black eyes, and the type of face Thalia's seen a thousand times before but would never be able to pick out of a crowd, even if she was standing right in front of her.

"Lady Mnemosyne?" Thalia asks, trying to hide the nervousness in her voice.

The woman blinks and looks up at the three of them. Then she does something rather unexpected – she rolls her eyes.

"Great, more of you Hunters? I ought to start charging for my services with the way you lot keep coming around," the goddess says, pushing herself into a sitting position. Even though her voice is flat and boring, Thalia can still detect traces of annoyance. "Step right up and get your memories of your abusive parents or stupid first boyfriend erased for a golden drachma a minute!"

"There's no need to be rude," Coraline says, wordlessly coming to Thalia's defense. "I know we're the only visitors allowed in your domain, and you'd never keep up with your Olympian gossip without us."

Mnemosyne glares at Coraline, assessing her, and then turns her eyes to Mara and Thalia in succession.

"Well, well, well, daughters of the Big Three," Mnemosyne says, drawing herself to her feet and walking toward them. "This is the first time I've had the pleasure of meeting any of your kind. Usually it's the weaklings who come crawling to me – "

"None of our sisters are weak," Mara says with a snarl, fingering the knife at her belt. "You'd know that with the memories you've taken from them."

Mnemosyne's eyes flash.

"I do not _take_, daughter of Poseidon. All memories are freely given to me and their owners understand what they are giving up. If you want of such a gift in the future, I would suggest you keep your insults to yourself," She turns to Thalia, scrutinizing her with her black eyes. "And you _do_ understand what you are giving up, daughter of Zeus?"

Thalia's palms are sweating and her limbs are trembling, but she tries not to think of anything as she steps forward and nods.

"I would like to relieve myself of the memories which hold me back from living up to my full potential as Lady Artemis's lieutenant," Thalia says slowly, her tongue thick in her mouth. "Please erase my memories of Luke Castellan."

Mara sucks in a breath behind her and reaches out to touch Thalia on the arm. Mara's the only one who knows her history with Luke and that's why she didn't want the other girl to come. She didn't want someone to act as his advocate.

"Thalia, are you sure?"

Is she sure? Not completely, but she's sick of waking up every morning with the hope of seeing him again and having it crushed each day that goes by without him. She doesn't want her chest to ache at the thought of Luke having children and the perfect life while she's stuck in a rut for the rest of her immortal life. She doesn't want to walk around every day knowing that he's left her behind yet again and soon, he'll be gone altogether.

And she'll be alone for good.

"Yes," Thalia says to both women, shaking off Mara's hand. "I want him gone."

Mnemosyne stares at her for a full minute and Thalia's eyes water with the urge to blink. Finally, the goddess nods and holds out her hands. Thalia flinches as her cold, clammy fingertips touch her temples.

"Relax, Thalia, daughter of Zeus, and think of the one you call Luke Castellan," Mnemosyne says, her voice becoming soft and melodic. "When you feel as though he is properly purged from your mind, tell me and I will stop."

Mara makes a noise of protest from behind, but Thalia steels herself and closes her eyes, calling forward any and all memories she might have of the blond haired boy from her past.

Mnemosyne takes it from there.

Like a computer programmer, she delves into Thalia's mind and starts pulling out and opening up memories until they're all crammed so tight inside, Thalia's skull feels like it's going to burst. Mnemosyne calls up the most recent memory – the one of a father, daughter and dog walking down the street – and lets it play for a moment. Then it's gone, and the pressure in Thalia's head decreases infinitesimally.

She feels a faint sense of satisfaction as all her memories of Jake Macguire and his daughter are erased from her mind, like he never even existed. Soon, as far as she knows, he doesn't and Mnemosyne moves on to the next memories.

They're not actually memories, per se, but the fantasies and dreams she's had of Luke that have kept her company throughout the last century. All the instances she thought she found him again, any blond, blue eyed boy she thought could possibly be him are gone in an instant and suddenly, Adam's dying face is swimming in her mind's eye.

Thalia gasps in surprise and pain. She hasn't thought of him in ages because it was just too distressing for her. She distantly hears his plea for her not to be _bitter_…and then that memory is gone, replaced by an earlier one of Adam, when he was still healthy and smiling, and they were happy – but no, that's not right because now she's stumbling into his room and yelling at him –

She doesn't want this. She wanted Luke gone, not Adam. They weren't the same person!

"N – no," Thalia chokes out, tears slipping from her eyes as Adam disappears from her mind completely. Her head is beginning to feel empty and cold, and she doesn't like it at all. "I – I – "

Mnemosyne speeds up the process, cutting out any brief thought or mention of Luke in her consciousness as she goes.

She whips past a memory of burning pyre and then onto her memories of Kronos in Luke's body. Thalia has to relive terrible moments at the Battle of New York until they're blissfully wiped away or Kronos is simply edited out of them. It continues through her first year as Hunter and the miscellaneous thoughts she had of him, thoughts she had long forgotten, and then Mnemosyne is on to her memories as a mortal which are blessedly brief.

"Interesting," Mnemoysne mumbles quietly as they pass into a strange set of impressions and feelings Thalia never knew she had hidden inside her.

When she feels the phantom pain of someone stabbing her and poison spreading through her veins, she realizes these are her memories as a _tree_.

Thalia doesn't remember any of these images or sensations, and she's filled with wonder and shock as they flitter by. She barely has seconds to glimpse them and then they're torn away from her, thrown into the void with the rest of them. Thalia feels an agonizing sense of loss that none of the other memories provide because she never _knew_ this side of herself.

She hears Luke telling her about his plans to destroy Olympus, sees him return to her tree after his quest with a bandage over his eye and an unreadable expression on his face, feels him as he touches the trunk of her tree every day for seven years as he copes with his grief and guilt, and see him grow younger and younger, and – and –

Then the memories are back in rich Technicolor as Thalia gets her last look of Luke and Annabeth before she's turned into a tree, and Luke's kissing her right before she runs off to sacrifice herself, and there are _so_ many monsters, far too many for three kids and a satyr to handle.

But then the memories switch to pleasant ones, before everything went to hell, and Thalia remembers exactly what made her love Luke Castellan. His goofy smile, his quick wit and sarcasm, his loyalty to her and Annabeth...

She wants this to _stop_. No matter how miserable he's made her and no matter how many promises he breaks, he's still her Luke, still her other half. He's made her who she is today and she can't lose what defines her. What would happen to her without him?

The current of her emotions is too strong, though, and she can't get her muscles to work properly. More memories flash by – finding Annabeth hiding in a garbage pile, their first kiss in the rain after Luke had successfully stolen a wallet packed with $100 bills, playful arguments and painful attempts at flirting – and with a stroke of horror, Thalia realizes Mnemosyne is reaching the end of the thread of her memories.

"N – no," Thalia says in a pained gasp as the process begins to slow. "S – stop."

Abruptly, the goddess stops at Thalia's last and very first memory of Luke: a boy with blond hair with blue eyes staring at her from across the street.

"P – put them back," Thalia sobs, her shoulders shaking. She doesn't have control of herself; there are too many emotions, some long forgotten, have been arisen by her memories and her body doesn't know how to express them all. "Please, put them b – back."

"I told you there was no returning from this point, Thalia Grace," Mnemosyne says softly, her voice full of regret. "What I have done to your mind cannot be undone, but no power of mine can erase the truth in your heart. Someday, perhaps, your memories will return, but it will not be this day."

Mnemosyne presses her fingers hard into Thalia's temples and she knows nothing more.

**-o-**

Mara actually screams when Thalia's body drops lifelessly to the ground in front of Mnemosyne. The goddess had only had her hands on Thalia for a few moments – how much irreversible brain damage had she done in such a short time?

"Thalia!" Coraline cries and rushes over to her. "What did you do?"

Mnemosyne ignores the younger girl and turns her coal black eyes to Mara.

"Your lieutenant will remember nothing of this encounter or the boy named Luke Castellan," she says, her voice as listless and grey as the surrounding environment. "She will be emotional for a few days, but she should return to her old self soon enough. I am sure you Hunters have more than enough experience dealing with my distraught patients."

The goddess smirks and Mara's eyes burn with hatred. She wishes she wasn't so far away from the pool's edge, otherwise she'd make this evil witch pay for being so flippant.

"Will she ever get her memories back?" Mara asks in a tight voice.

Mnemosyne shrugs carelessly.

"It is highly unlikely. But who knows with you demigods? You're always so full of _wonderful _surprises."

**-o-**

When Thalia opens her eyes the next morning, something feels _off._

She can't quite put her finger on it, but she feels… different. Incomplete.

Alone.

She doesn't understand why.

**-o-**

Across the country, a father of three stares at his ceiling as he fights to fall asleep, wondering why seeing that teenage girl with blue eyes and black hair walk away from him could make everything in his life feel absolutely worthless.


	4. Part Three: Liam

**Author's notes:** I apologize for the wait for this chapter, especially after what I did in the second one! What I originally had for this chapter originally wasn't working with the previous bits so I took a lot of reworking and a willingness to sit down and actually finish it on my part. This fic ended up being much longer than I thought it would be length-wise, but the premise of the story never changed. It was always supposed to be about Thalia's growth as a character and getting her second chance with Mr. Castellan. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Percy Jackson and the Olympians_.

* * *

**The Three Lives of Luke Castellan**

_Three - Liam_

_Seventeen years earlier_

If there is one thing the goddess Artemis does not like, it is when the other gods decide to interfere with her business. Most of them have learned to stay out of the way by now, especially in matters concerning her Hunters, but her brother and father always like being the exception to the rule.

"No," Artemis says resolutely, crossing her arms over her chest. "Absolutely not."

Apollo and Zeus exchange glances; it's not like they should be surprised by this. They've only known her for over three millennia, after all.

The Olympian throne room is empty except for the three of them, as it usually is when there are no pressing matters to attend to and the winter solstice is months away. Artemis is somewhat surprised Hera isn't there, hovering over Zeus's shoulder. There's nothing she delights in more than making Zeus's children – including Artemis and Apollo, on occasion – miserable with her scheming.

"Be reasonable, Artemis," Apollo says at last, making eye contact with her again. "It's not good for mortals to live this long and you've had her for almost five hundred years. Don't you start to let go of them around this point anyway?"

"I dismiss my Hunters at the point of my own choosing, not yours, brother," the goddess spat, narrowing her eyes. "Our sister has shown no signs of weakening, and I will not dismiss her for the sake of some _man_ who…" How did the mortals say it nowadays? "...who screwed her over centuries ago and is now realizing his mistake."

"It's his third reincarnation! He doesn't – _they_ don't have any more chances after this!"

"Would you be so concerned about my Hunter if the boy in question hadn't been reincarnated as _your_ son?" Apollo flushes at her words and Artemis feels a momentary flash of satisfaction. "And how do we even know he is the right reincarnation?"

"That kid of Hades's… Rico, or whatever his name is, has been judging the dead for the last century and can personally account for seeing that boy's soul pass though. He was even allowed to retain most of his memories," Apollo replies. Artemis arches an eyebrow, still not convinced, and her brother flushes a deeper red. "Besides… the kid has Hermes's eyes."

"Are you sure that isn't because your paramour of the month has been unfaithful?"

Apollo's eyes flash dangerously and he begins to rise from his throne, but Zeus puts a hand on his shoulder and forces him back down.

"Apollo," Zeus says warningly, fixing them both with glares. "Artemis."

Chided, Artemis sinks back into her own throne. When her father's gaze turns away, she juvenilely sticks her tongue out at her brother. Apollo has no right to criticize her Hunters and if he cannot handle any criticism she dishes out in return, then it's not her concern.

"Artemis, I will not tell you what to do in this situation. You alone are sovereign over your Hunters and although the girl in question is my daughter, I will not have a hand in this," their father continues. "But I would ask you to at least consider what your brother and I proposed today… and to consider what you would do if you had a second chance with the hunter, Orion."

The goddess's eyes widen in shock as mixture of emotions she hasn't felt in ages rise in her chest. The mention of Orion was always a low blow and something she certainly hadn't expected here today.

"Father, I don't see how that is relevant to – "

"If that hunter came back a second time, repentant in all his ways and still loyal to you, would you give your friendship with him another chance?"

Orion was the one black mark on Artemis's otherwise white record in terms of romantic relationships. He had been her best friend, her favorite… the only man she could've ever loved. If he had chosen rebirth instead of immortalization in the stars, and she had encountered him again, what would she have done?

Wouldn't she at least want the option of a second chance?

The morning of her five hundredth anniversary of her entry to the service to the goddess, Artemis calls Thalia to her tent for a performance review of sorts. She's had a few of them over the centuries and she never stops being nervous, even though they've only ever been positive sessions.

Artemis is seated in her golden folding chair, glancing at a Hermes Messenger handheld with the latest notes from Olympus when Thalia enters. The goddess is in her adult form, as she usually is when she and Thalia meet alone. She only looks a few years older – maybe nineteen or twenty – and her hair is much longer than it is in her child form. It's a sign of how much she trusts Thalia to meet with her when she's like this; very few of the other girls have had this honor. Thalia bows before her and waits to be acknowledged.

"Dear sister, rise and sit beside your lady," Artemis says with a warm smile. She waves her hand and a silver chair appears beside her. When Thalia is seated, Artemis sets down her handheld and continues, "You have been my lieutenant for five hundred years Thalia, Daughter of Zeus, and you have served me faithfully for every year. The ranks of my hunters have swelled and been maintained. Our hunts and battles have brought me great honor among the gods. Except for a few scattered incidents, I have been nothing but pleased by you."

Thalia glows from the compliment. They're rare and when she receives one from any Olympian, she treasures it beyond all measure.

"Thank you, my lady."

"But I believe you and I have reached the end of our journey together."

The warm feeling from Artemis's compliment goes icy cold and Thalia feels her stomach drop to her feet.

"What? Lady Artemis, I don't understand," she asks, confused. Surely, she had simply misheard. Surely Artemis couldn't mean what she was saying because that would mean…

"It is nothing you have done my dear," Artemis replies, placing a hand on top of Thalia's. Physical contact with the goddess is even rarer and it startles the other girl completely. "We have simply arrived at a crossroads in our very long lives together. Our father Zeus has recently brought something to my attention which I believe will test your resolution to your oath – "

Thalia gasps, wrenching her hand from Artemis's and bolting out of her chair.

"My lady, I would never – !"

Artemis raises a hand and gives her a hard look. Thalia's protest withers and dies in her throat, and she sinks back miserably into her chair. This can't be happening. She has to be dreaming. There's no way this can be real.

"Thalia, you and I both know your reasons for joining my Hunt were not the right ones. Nevertheless, you have served me beyond any doubt and I shall never forget that," the goddess's eyes look old for a second and she looks away. "I am beginning to see the same exhaustion in you that I saw in my previous lieutenant, and I would not wish for you to become resentful of your service to me. Sometimes we gods forget what a burden immortal is for those who are not strong enough to shoulder it."

Thalia's torn between feeling insulted, miserable, and fucking pissed the hell off. She's given the last five hundred years of her life to the goddess, sacrificed friends, family, a normal, mortal life, only to be told in the end, she wasn't strong enough and that she was too _old_?

What is she supposed to do? Everything and everyone she ever knew has turned to dust with the ages. She has no support, money, no identification… she has nothing except the Hunters. Thalia is nothing but a Hunter.

"My lady," Thalia says, gulping back the sobs of desperation that are threatening to tear their way out of her chest. "Is there anything I can do to change your mind? I don't think this is the right choice."

Artemis looks at her with sad eyes. Thalia knows the answer and she absolutely hates it. This isn't fair.

"I can explain no more than I already have," Artemis says with a tone of finality. "I can only suggest that you look at this as a blessing rather than a curse."

A blessing?

A _blessing_? She's being thrown from her home away from her family and friends, and she's supposed to think of it as a blessing? Yeah, not happening any time soon.

"Where…where will I go?"

"You shall lead the Hunters to Camp Half-Blood while I attend the winter solstice, and you will remain there until Chiron and your father can sort something out for you," Artemis says. "You will always have a home in my cabin, Thalia, even when we are not there."

Thalia nods robotically, the shock setting in and forcing all other feelings out of her body.

"Am I dismissed?"

Artemis nods and makes a motion as if she wants to hug her, but thinks better of it and sits back in her golden chair. Thalia rises and moves towards the door flap.

"Would you send in Coraline? I wish to speak with her," Artemis calls. "And Thalia? You will find what you're looking for at Camp Half-Blood. I know it."

**-o-**

The Hunters know something is up before they leave for Camp Half-Blood, if the pitying looks and comforting pats on the back they're giving to Thalia are indication, but they're kind enough not to say anything, even the bratty ones who don't like her. It's always a sad day when one of their own leaves their numbers, even though none of them – even Thalia – really know why.

When they arrive at the Camp, Chiron is waiting for them outside the Big House. Thalia's heart tugs at the sight up him and she has to resist the urge to cry when he bends down to give her a hug.

"Welcome back, Hunters of Artemis," he says to the entire group. "Your cabin has been prepared for you, and you're welcome to join as for dinner, as always. The Aphrodite Cabin asks that you do not try to provoke them, and the Hermes Cabin has promised to keep their hands to themselves this time." Then, turning to her, he says, "Thalia, the senior counselors would like to speak to you as soon as you have the time."

"Now is fine," Thalia replies, stepping away from the Hunters.

Coraline, her chosen successor, begins to herd the girls to the cabins. She pauses for one last miserable look before scampering after them.

Thalia sighs as Chiron's hand settles on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry you must return to camp under these circumstances, Thalia. We'll try to make the transition as easy as possible for you," he says as they walk into the Big House. "You'll be the senior counselor of the Zeus cabin while you're here. We haven't had any of your siblings through in a few years, so it'll just be you for now."

In a way, Thalia's glad she has no siblings because it will make everything substantially less awkward. She knows the other campers are going to be curious enough the way it is. But at the same time, she would've liked to have someone she could relate to…and not in the literal sense.

"Thank you, Chiron," she replies, inclining her head. "I appreciate it."

He guides her into a room at the end of the hallway that hadn't been there during her initial stay at Camp Half-Blood. It's very similar to a corporate boardroom with a long, oak table and cushy leather chairs, and screens on the walls displaying schedules and updates from Olympus. There are only a handful of campers in the boardroom at the moment, standing around a screen displaying Hephaestus TV, and all talking stops when Chiron and Thalia enter.

"Senior counselors," Chiron says, drawing their attention away from the screen. "I'd like you to meet our newest camper, Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus."

The senior counselors all bow to her, like all demigods do when they learn who her father is. It's constantly embarrassing, to say the least. Chiron goes around and lists them off for her benefit: there's Bud Pierski from Ares, Ashley Burleson from Aphrodite, Caylee Rose of Demeter, Sora Quickly of Hermes, Liam Solburn of Apollo, Amir Wasif from Athena, and George Harrison from Hephaestus. None of the minor cabins are represented, but Chiron assures her that's just because of the dwindled camp numbers during the winter.

"I'll leave you to get to know one another," Chiron says, tromping out of the room.

"Um, hi," Thalia says awkwardly, trying to avoid looking anyone in the eye. She hates being put in the spotlight like this. "Nice to meet you… I guess?"

"You're wearing the circlet of Artemis," Amir says, pushing his glasses up his nose. He's definitely the youngest of the bunch. "Are you a Hunter?"

"I was," she replies softly, even though it's not quite true. She's still has the blessing of Artemis and immortality; she won't stop being a Hunter until midnight tonight when she'll finally turn sixteen.

"Why the change of mind? Finally decided to see what you're missing?" Bud, the Ares kid, says, making a lewd gesture with his hands. Thalia narrows her eyes. "'Cause baby, I'll certainly show you – "

One of the taller boys reaches over and whacks Bud across the back of the head. Thalia hadn't really noticed him when Chiron had been making introductions because everything had been a little overwhelming, but she's almost positive he must be the Apollo kid: Liam.

"Knock it off," he says, his voice holding the faintest hint of Texan accent. He has sandy blond, almost brown hair that curls at the nape of his neck and into his eyes. He's busy glaring at Bud, so she doesn't get a good look at his face. "Her reasons for leaving the Hunters are her own, and if I catch you giving her shit, I'm going to kick your ass even more often than I do now."

Bud's face turns red as the other campers laugh, and he starts to protest Liam's assertion, but the other boy turns away and meets Thalia's gaze for the first time.

For a moment, she feels as though time has stopped. Liam has deep blue eyes, eyes that look as sad and old as hers do sometimes, and something in her gut tells her she _knows _these eyes, but that isn't possible because she just met this kid five minutes ago. She racks her memory, trying to find the reference to this feeling, and comes up with nothing except a distant, faded image of a blond boy on a street corner with those same eyes.

The feeling is gone as soon as it came, and Thalia suddenly finds herself surrounded by the three other girls in the room.

"So, like, how old are you?" Ashley asks, grabbing at Thalia's braid and examining it. "Because you have got to tell me how you managed to look so fab this long."

"Were you around when the Internet was first invented?" Sora says eagerly. "I'm studying communications and I would love to get your perspective about how things have changed since then – "

As the girls babble over her and drag her out the door, Thalia looks back at Liam very briefly. She's not quite sure why she does; it has to be that stupid feeling of hers. His shoulders are slumped, and his eyes are crinkled with sadness… like he had expected something more from her than what he got.

**-o-**

Later that night, long after curfew, Thalia leaves the Hunters for the last time and treks up the snow covered Half-Blood Hill to her old tree so she can think. And maybe cry a bit if she wants to be totally truthful, because Zeus knows she wouldn't be able to do any of that with all the campers stopping by her cabin to say hello or her Hunters coming in to sob to her about how much they'll miss her.

Each time she comes back to Camp Half-Blood, she surprised by how much the tree has changed and how much she hasn't. From the slim pine it started out as, it has grown into a thick, gnarled gargantuan that's now the definitive landmark of the camp. It reflects all the years she has and ages in the way she couldn't. Besides Chiron, this is the last physical connection she has to her mortal life, the only home she has left.

She wonders, if she prayed very nicely, if her father could put her back inside until she died for good this time.

Thalia swallows the lump in her throat as she presses her hand on the trunk of the tree. The life inside hums a pleased greeting and, even after all this time, it amazes her that she hasn't lost her connection to it and that it can give her comfort when nothing else can.

"Hello," she replies. "Nice to see you again."

Before she can truly get comfortable, she hears snow crunch in the distance, the sign of someone finding their way up the hill. It can't be any of her Hunters, since she told them to leave her be, so it must be some camper off on their own. Thalia debates leaving, but this is _her_ tree, after all. She shouldn't have to leave.

"Oh, sorry," it's a boy's voice, deep and with that soft Texan accent. Liam's voice. "I didn't realize anyone else was up here."

Out of all the people in the camp who wanted to risk getting eaten by the Harpies, it had to be Liam. It isn't that she doesn't like the guy – Bud had earned that with his constant harassment of her – but she feels weird around him. Out of place, like she should recognize something about him.

"You're fine," Thalia calls, glancing over her shoulder at him. "I was just admiring the tree."

Liam's feet shuffle in the snow and he moves closer to her, until he's standing by her side. She wonders if he followed her up to the top of hill or if he usually came up here on his own. If he came all this way to flirt, he was going to be sadly disappointed.

"You know the story behind the Immortal Tree, don't you?"

There's definitely a bit of flirtation in his voice and Thalia rolls her eyes skyward. He has to know he's talking to the girl who caused the creation of the "Immortal Tree," right?

She decides to humor him instead of zapping him, though. She's a few hundred years out of practice with flirting with the opposite sex and if she's really going to be let go from the Hunters, she might want to remember how to talk to boys without looking at them like they're diseased.

Although, she thinks she looked at them that way _before_ she became a Hunter…

"You know, I don't think so," she says with a fair amount of sarcasm. "Why don't you tell me?"

If he picked up on her sarcasm, he doesn't let it affect his eagerness to tell the story. He really must be clueless about the tree's history.

"Well, they say almost a half a millennia ago, a half-blood sacrificed herself on this very spot to save her friends from certain death," Liam says reverently, as if this is his favorite myth. It's kind of weird to think of herself as a _myth_. "Their quartet – three half-bloods and a satyr – were being chased by monsters that were out for their blood. Not much different from the usual half-blood story, I suppose, but there were too many monsters and there was no way they would make it to the magical borders alive."

Thalia closes her eyes, letting his words wash over her and the memories from that day coming flooding back. They're old memories, out of focus, monochrome, and garbled, and…and they're not matching up with Liam's story.

"The eldest girl decided to make herself a target, even though was the most important one out of the three. She and the older boy argued about it because the boy thought he should be the one to do it because it was his fault the monsters were after them and he was the oldest, after all. Before he can do anything though, the girl left and charged into battle," Liam's voice goes soft, and while Thalia remembers that part of the fight, she doesn't remember the argument.

In fact, she doesn't remember any boy besides Grover being around at all. She knows myths can change and twist throughout time, but something tells her that his story isn't wrong – her memories are.

"She fought bravely, but the monsters were too much for her. Before they could kill her, her father interfered and transformed her into that very tree so she wouldn't suffer. The other three made it safely to camp, and she protected the camp from that point on."

"Sad story," Thalia murmurs, rubbing her hand over the bark of the tree. Her voice doesn't reflect any sadness because she's fighting with her memories, trying to bring up the right ones to match his story.

Thalia's usually not one to trust her feelings, but when her memories have betrayed her, she has to have something to hold on to.

"It gets sadder," Liam continues, and she can feel him watching her. "'Cause you see, the boy blamed himself for killing his friend, and there wasn't a day that didn't pass where he didn't think of her. He mourned over her for years, until his grief turned into bitterness and resentment, and he did the unthinkable – he betrayed Olympus and poisoned the tree, belittling the sacrifice his friend had made."

"What else can you expect from boys?" Thalia replies weakly, and her heart is pounding in her chest. Something is nudging at the edge of her awareness, something she _knows_, something _important_, yet she can't quite grasp what it is.

The boy laughs, warm and friendly. It reminds her of someone from a very long time ago, but who? The boy from the story?

"I see your lady has trained you right, but this boy's problem wasn't that he was born male. He was born with a terrible destiny and he was far too eager to go out and find it. He did a lot of nasty things and lucky for everyone else, there were other heroes willing to step up and save them. These other heroes cured the tree with the Golden Fleece," his heavy winter coat swishes as he indicates said magical item still hanging from the branches, "And then a miracle happened. The girl was released from the tree, a little bit younger than she should be, but safe and whole nonetheless."

Thalia's growing annoyed, not with him, but with her head. She keeps seeing Percy's face when she tries to think of the other boy, and she knows that isn't right. Percy was the hero and besides, the other boy didn't have dark hair and green eyes. He had light hair with... with…

She clenches her fists. Why can't she remember? It shouldn't be this hard!

"I'm sure she wasn't happy when she found out what her friend had done," Thalia prompts, hoping more of the story will fill in the gaps in her memory. "I'd be furious."

She _had_ been furious, she knows that, but the fury had faded over time as her emotional wounds healed and she'd matured. Her heart tells her that she forgave that boy centuries ago, and that, impossibly, Liam knows that too.

"I think she probably was, yet she didn't let her anger rule her like the boy had. She always the strongest of the two and constantly did what was right, even when it was hardest. They went their separate ways for good this time, but the boy never stopped loving the girl even though she couldn't love him back. When it came down to it, it was the boy's love for the girl that saved everyone else and the boy followed her example, sacrificing himself for his friends."

This isn't just some story from a flirtatious demigod trying to impress a new camper anymore. Liam _knows _things, things he shouldn't because, she thinks, he was _there_. He was the boy in the story, just like she was the girl, and he's been aware of that since she walked into the boardroom that afternoon.

Thalia doesn't know when she started crying, but she's startled to find tears coursing down her cheeks. She reaches up to wipe them away, but a larger hand with cold, rough fingertips beats her to it. Startled, she glances up and meets Liam's eyes – his _blue_ eyes.

She knows those eyes, knows the person behind them, and she's so damn positive of this fact it almost hurts.

"I – I don't remember," she says, her voice breaking. "I know you were important to me, I just don't – "

Liam moves his hand to the back of her neck, leans forward, and presses his lips against hers.

For a moment, Thalia feels nothing except an excited tremble in her limbs. But then Liam presses harder, moving his mouth against hers just right, and then…

Then it all comes back. She gasps against his lips, and she has to shove him away as memories and emotions pour into her boy. She leans against the tree for support, gasping for breath and trying to hold onto herself.

This is what's been missing from her for the last three hundred years. This is why she always felt alone and broken. This is what she had been looking for, and –

This is why Artemis let her go, she realizes with flutter of her heart. Not because she was too old or too weak, but because the goddess wanted her to have a second chance.

"Thalia?" Liam prompts after a moment. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…. it's just, you know that story? That really wasn't the end either. You see, that boy loved that girl so much that he was willing to be reborn so he could be with her again. It took him three tries and five hundred years, but he finally found her, like she told him to. And he's wondering… if the girl still loves him like he still loves her."

Thalia sobs and suddenly, she finds herself wrapped up in his arms. They feel different – they should, considering this is an entirely new body for him – but there's nothing different about the way he holds her, like she's the most precious thing in the world.

"You came back," she cries against his winter coat, her tears soaking the material. "You came back."

"Of course I did. I promised, didn't I?" he murmurs into her hair. "You're the only thing that kept me going, Thalia Grace."

Thalia pulls her head away from his chest and looks up at him, _really_ looking at him this time. He's not quite Luke or Adam or Jake or any combination of the three; he's just Liam, the boy who'd wait for her until the end of time.

As she stands on her tiptoes to kiss him again, Thalia thinks she hears a distant clock chiming midnight. As Liam's arms wrap around her waist, she feels the blessing of Artemis beginning to slide away and her coat of immortality fading away in the night.

When she finally pulls away from Liam, she's no longer lonely Thalia Grace, the five hundred year old Hunter of Artemis.

She's just Thalia, a sixteen year old demigod finally ready to start living her life the way it was always meant to be.

* * *

Thanks again for reading and reviewing. I know I don't always respond to my reviews, but every one of you who submitted (or will submit) a review to this fic are treasured beyond belief. I don't even have the proper words to express how grateful I am for all your support.


	5. Epilogue

**Author's notes:** Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing this little fic. I was never expecting it to get this long or involved, but I hope you all enjoyed it every step of the way. I know I did. I wasn't planning on doing an epilogue, but I just couldn't fight the idea of taking one last look at Luke and Thalia, a couple years in the future after they've been reunited. Thanks again for reading and reviewing!  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Percy Jackson and the Olympians._

**The Three Lives of Luke Castellan**

_Epilogue_

It's just past one in the afternoon when the rays of sunlight finally manage to crawl under Liam's eyelids and pry them open. Being the son of Apollo, he was usually pretty in tune with the cycles of the sun and would often wake up as soon as it rose, much to the dismay of his lovely bedmate who would sleep until dusk if he let her.

Then again, he usually wasn't up until the wee hours of the morning exhausting himself with said bedmate. Liam's beginning to think all of these maniac midnight sex sessions are just an evil plot so she can get him to sleep in just a little longer on the weekends. As far as plots go, it's not so much evil as it is pleasingly rewarding.

Liam shifts on the bed, trying to get out of the sunlight, but he finds it hard to do with a certain someone draped all over his chest like a lead weight. He has half a mind to gently pry her off and he's about to do it when she shifts against him.

"Don't even think of getting out of this bed, mister," Thalia grumbles against his abdomen, tightening her arms around him. "It's Sunday. Let's be lazy today."

"Whenever are we not lazy on a Sunday?" Liam responds with a smile, reaching around to run his fingers through her long dark hair. "The sun's in my eyes, that's all I was doing. I swear."

Thalia mumbles something derogatory about his solar heritage, but loosens her grip and rolls away from him to the other side of their huge bed after a moment. Liam doesn't let her get too far because as soon as he's out of the sunlight, she's back in his arms…where she's always belonged.

Liam moves her hair out of her eyes and tucks it behind her ear, settling back to watch her as she drifts off to sleep. He likes to watch her while she sleeps and while she's awake too, for that matter, because sometimes the last few years with her feel like the most wonderful dream and he wants to absorb it all in case he wakes up.

After everything he had done in his first life, he'd thought the gods would never allow him such a reward as this. It didn't take him long to realize that this wasn't _his_ reward – it was Thalia's and he was just lucky enough to be a part of it.

Liam brushes his lips against her temple, and rests his chin on her shoulder. He allows his eyes to drift shut again, telling himself he'll only sleep for a few more minutes.

He and Thalia have a lifetime together, he thinks as he falls asleep, and they'll need all the rest they can get.


End file.
